Almost one hundred years ago a father was up in his attic when he found an old rag doll. The doll didn’t have a face so the father drew a face on the doll, named her Raggedy Ann and gave the doll to his daughter.

His daughter, Marcella, loved the doll very much and almost always had the doll with her. Marcella’s father saw how much Marcella enjoyed playing with Raggedy Ann so he thought other children should have dolls like that too.

Other Raggedy Ann dolls were made and Marcella’s father began writing stories about Raggedy Ann’s adventures. Soon Raggedy Ann had a brother, Raggedy Andy. He joined her in fun and exciting adventures with their dog, Fido.

There is a story that the first Raggedy Ann dolls had candy hearts because they were so sweet. Today each Raggedy Ann doll has an embroidered heart stitched on its chest. Inside the heart are the words, “I love you.”

When you read the Raggedy Ann stories, which are available at libraries, you will find that Raggedy Ann is kind and knows about friendship and love.

The Bible teaches us that God knows “the hearts of all men” (1:24). His love is available to each one of us. Raggedy Ann reminds us that our hearts can also be filled with kindness, friendship, and love.